US’ Closest Allies No Longer Aligned with Washington: Iran’s FM

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the US isolation since it withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying even Washington’s close allies do not follow the US any more.

“Today the US’ closest allies, apart from a few of our neighbors, are no longer aligned with Washington,” said Zarif during a televised interview on Wednesday night.

He added that the US’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has perfectly manifested the country's isolation on the global stage.

“The US is trying to create a psychological atmosphere” against Iran, Zarif added.

Basically the entire goal is to psychologically affect our nation and to affect the psychological vibe of our trade partners across the globe," the Iranian foreign minister stated, stressing that "the world is not ready to follow the US.”

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the US, plus Germany under then US President Barack Obama.

Under the deal, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against it.

US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear agreement in May, and said that he plans to reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

The European Union has said the international community has an obligation to maintain economic relations with Iran.

Zarif said that the EU has so far lived up to its commitments, but they have to “move beyond words."

“The Europeans say the JCPOA is a security achievement for them. Well, you ought to pay for your security. No one finds security without investment,” he added.

Following the US exit from the JCPOA, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the JCPOA running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the Europeans.